Charlie Villanueva Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Heat, Nelson, Sixers

February 16th, 2014 at 12:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

This Thursday’s trade deadline is an important date for many teams in the league. The right moves can not only help a franchise in their quest to make the playoffs this season, but also influence what a team can do in the off-season personnel wise. But it’s nine days later that is a potentially even more significant date for the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. March 1st is the date that players have to be waived by in order to be eligible for another team’s playoff roster, a date informally known as the buyout deadline. Winderman believes that since the Heat don’t have much to offer other teams in potential deals, the team will be more active in looking to pick up a player who has been waived, similar to them picking up Chris Andersen last year. Winderman also opines that any deadline moves the Heat might make would be salary dumps with avoiding luxury tax penalties in mind. Potential waiver candidates to keep an eye on are Caron Butler, Keith Bogans, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, and Chris Kaman, according to the article.

Amico On Asik, Kings, Pistons

November 14th, 2013 at 9:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we relayed a report that the Kings and Cavaliers have been actively involved in trade talks with each other, although Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio cites a league source who says that there’s “nothing of substance” to that report. In his latest piece, Amico touches upon possible interest Omer Asik around the league in addition to potential teams that could be involved in other trade talks. You can read more below:

While the Rockets might not be looking to deal Asik at the moment, multiple sources have identified the Raptors as a team that is already highly interested.
The Kings are considered to be league-wide front runners to make a deal, and Amico notes that the team’s new management explored moving several pieces during this past offseason – including guard Jimmer Fredette. He also adds that Sacramento is likely to field calls leading up to the trade deadline in February.
There is league-wide speculation that the Pistons are looking to move the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva in exchange for more talent and could act soon.

Joe Dumars Talks Amnesty, Roster, Expectations

July 22nd, 2013 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have been busy this offseason, awarding the biggest non-max deal of the summer to Josh Smith, and also bringing aboard role players like Gigi Datome and Chauncey Billups. However, one move the club didn't make involved the amnesty provision, as Charlie Villanueva became perhaps the likeliest amnesty candidate not to be released.

Pistons GM Joe Dumars spoke to reporters about that decision, along with his expectations for the coming season, so let's check out the highlights, courtesy of Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press….

On why the Pistons didn't use the amnesty clause:

"Couple of reasons that you use or not use the amnesty. One is that usually you use amnesty to try to create space. You don’t have enough space, and you need that amnesty. And so we were $20MM to $25MM in cap space, and we didn’t need more space. One of the second reasons you use amnesty is you’re targeting someone specific, and you need that money to get it done. We knew we could do everything we needed to get done with the space we had. We would have just amnestied Charlie and we would be sitting here right now with the space and that’s it. There wasn’t a need to use it. Plus, you’re talking about an expiring contract. It made no sense to use it."

On whether the front office is comfortable with the current roster:

"I’m comfortable if we had to go in the season with this roster. I’m really comfortable now with this roster, but you can’t shut the door now and say we’re done. It’s the middle of July right now, and it’s a long way from Oct. 1st. You let teams around the league know that you’re still open. If something comes up that gets us one step further, we’d do it. But if you’re asking me if I’m comfortable with this, yeah, I am."

On whether he views the Pistons as a playoff team:

"I don’t know. I know we can compete for it now. We’ve upgraded the talent. We’ve upgraded what we needed to in terms of shooting, leadership, athleticism. We’ve made the steps to get better and time will tell how it plays out. Obviously we felt we’ve improved this offseason."

Pistons Won’t Use Amnesty Provision

July 11th, 2013 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons won't use their amnesty provision this year, a source tells TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link). As I noted in our amnesy primer, Charlie Villanueva and Greg Monroe were Detroit's only remaining eligible players, and Monroe wasn't going anywhere, so this news essentially means that Villanueva is safe.

Aldridge notes that the likely reason for the decision is to ensure that team salary exceeds the required $52.8MM floor, but the salary of amnestied players still counts for floor calculations, so I don't think that's it.

Perhaps Detroit simply just has little incentive to pay Villanueva to play elsewhere, especially since the cap room the move would create probably wouldn't be used to sign anyone else. When you take into account all the players the Pistons have signed or will sign, plus their drafted players, there are 17 guys in the mix for 15 roster spots, so further additions seem unlikely. Villanueva's expiring $8.58MM deal could also be used to facilitate a trade later on in the season.

Because Villanueva and Monroe are both entering the final year of their respective contracts, this decision, if it's final, means Detroit won't use its amnesty clause during the course of the 2011 CBA.

Pistons Made Trade Offer For Rudy Gay

July 3rd, 2013 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 8:45am: The Raptors turned away the Pistons' proposal for Gay and don't intend to move him for nothing, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

TUESDAY, 11:03pm: The Pistons have offered the Raptors the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva in a package for Rudy Gay, league sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

Stuckey and Villanueva will both earn $8.5MM in 2013/14 and while Gay has two years and $37MM left on his deal. Detroit is hoping that GM Masai Ujiri is planning even more drastic change in Toronto days after agreeing to ship Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks.

Gay averaged 19.5 PPG while shooting 43% from the floor in his 33 games for the Raptors. Detroit was among the bidders for him when the Grizzlies made him available last season and they are making another play for him this summer.

Villanueva, Kleiza, Gray Exercise 2013/14 Options

May 18th, 2013 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

One ex-Raptor and two current Raps have opted in for the 2013/14 season, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. According to RealGM's transactions log, Charlie Villanueva, Linas Kleiza, and Aaron Gray all picked up their '13/14 player options on May 13th.

None of the decisions come as any surprise, given the production the three players provided on the court compared to the salaries they're now in line to earn next season. Villanueva had confirmed earlier in the season that he'd exercise his option, worth $8.58MM. In 69 games with the Pistons this season, Villanueva established career-lows in PPG (6.8), FG% (.377), and PER (14.0), among other categories.

The Raptors duo won't be quite as expensive as Villanueva, as Kleiza's option is worth $4.6MM, while Gray's is worth about $2.69MM. Gray appeared in 42 games for Toronto this season, starting 16 of them, and averaged 2.8 PPG and 3.2 RPG. Kleiza played in just 20 contests for the Raps, missing time with a knee injury and then not getting back into the lineup even when he was healthy.

While all three players are now set to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2014, free agency could come earlier for Villanueva and Kleiza. The Pistons and Raptors both still have the amensty provision available, and Villanueva and Kleiza represent the top amnesty candidates for their respective clubs.

Charlie Villanueva To Exercise 2013/14 Option

February 21st, 2013 at 4:38pm CST by Sean Highkin

Charlie Villanueva will exercise his $8.5MM player option to remain with the Pistons for the 2013/14 season, the veteran forward tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Villanueva cited money and the closeness to his son, who lives in Toronto, as reasons for not opting out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.

Ellis writes that, although Villanueva has been a disappointment during his four seasons in Detroit, he is likely playing well enough this season to avoid being waived using the amnesty clause this summer. He is the only player currently on the Pistons' roster who would be eligible to be amnestied.

Pistons Rumors: Bynum, Villanueva, Maxiell

February 20th, 2013 at 5:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have already been in one major trade this season, sending away Tayshaun Prince, thelast link to their 2004 championship team, in a package that brought back Jose Calderon. Here's the latest on whether another deal could be on the horizon, and more from Detroit:

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Pistons guard Will Bynum, told Shams Charania of RealGM his client won't be leaving Detroit at the deadline. Bynum, 30, is on an expiring deal, and but it appears the Pistons aren't interested in using him as a trade chip.
There's little doubt that Charlie Villanueva will exercise his $8.58MM player option for next season, and the power forward gave strong indications to Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that he won't opt out. "You know what I'm going to do. Think I'm going to leave that money?" Villanueva said (Twitter link).
MLive's David Mayo estimates there's a 35% chance the Pistons make a trade (Twitter link). He tabs Bynum and Jason Maxiell the likeliest to go, though if Bynum's agent is correct that he won't be dealt, the chances of Detroit making a deal are probably even slimmer.

Kyler’s Latest: Pistons, Bucks, Raptors, Jazz

February 11th, 2013 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

With 10 days left until the trade deadline arrives, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld surveys the market in his latest NBA AM piece, covering the latest rumors related to the Pistons, Bucks, Raptors, and Jazz. Here are the highlights from Kyler:

The Pistons are "open for business," and would have interest in unloading Rodney Stuckey and/or Charlie Villanueva. There's also been speculation that Detroit could be convinced to move some of their own players on expiring contracts, such as Will Bynum and Jason Maxiell.
Josh Smith and Gerald Henderson are expected to be among the Pistons' free agent targets this summer, according to Kyler.
Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis are unlikely to be dealt by the Bucks, but Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert, and perhaps even Ersan Ilyasova could be had. The price for Ilyasova would be high, however, and so far potential suitors such as the Raptors and Nets seem unwilling to pay that price.
The Raptors are seeking frontcourt help and looking to find a taker for Andrea Bargnani, but haven't made significant progress on either front.
Although Ric Bucher reported yesterday that the Jazz are more likely to trade Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson, Kyler suggests the opposite may be true, since Millsap is viewed as the free agent more likely to be re-signed or signed-and-traded in July.
Any team willing to take Raja Bell off Utah's hands, perhaps in a larger deal, might receive more consideration from the Jazz, says Kyler.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Celtics, Asik, Blatche

December 14th, 2012 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After rounding up a few Raptors updates earlier this afternoon, let's take a look around the rest of the Eastern Conference:

One opposing GM points out to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) that a successful season for the Hawks would make it difficult for new GM Danny Ferry to bring in his own head coach to replace Larry Drew next year, if that's what Ferry wants to do. League sources also question whether Josh Smith fits the profile of a player Ferry would want to retain long-term, according to Bucher.
The Celtics inquired on Omer Asik over the summer, head coach Doc Rivers tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). However, the team quickly moved on when it heard Asik's price tag.
It's looking more and more like Andray Blatche might be this summer's "one [free agent] that got away" from the Heat, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Following up on comments he made last month, Mike D'Antoni clarified to reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post, that he had no regrets about coaching the Knicks, but that he regretted leaving Steve Nash and the Suns.
In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered wonders if Charlie Villanueva is playing well enough to avoid being amnestied next summer.